Countdown to Disney

Truth be told, I’ve struggled to get back into blogging after the summer break. Maybe it’s the change in weather, the allocation of all energy into term time activities, or maybe I’ve just lacked a little inspiration. So, I thought long and hard, and thought I need to channel something I’m excited about. I mean REALLY excited about…

I wouldn’t normally write a gushing post about how long it is until we go on a mini-break… but then again, we don’t normally go to Disneyland Paris.

Breaking him down

The seed was planted last year, when our eldest started school and it seemed everyone [else] had tapped into the two week half terms for the opportunity for a cheap(er) getaway. Center parks, Tenerife, Disney…everyone was at it. We, however had a second birthday to plan and celebrate and the idea was shelved for a later date.

Having proposed the suggestion and being put firmly in my place (we’d just had our first foreign family holiday as a four piece), I knew I had to stalk my prey and choose my moment.

And here we are, almost 12 months later, and this Autumn, we are going to Disneyland Paris. It was negotiated and justified using a number of techniques, namely a) being the Mouse’s third birthday party alternative b) we haven’t been abroad on holiday this year and c) I really, REALLY want to take the girls d) sod it.

Quite frankly, I might explode with excitement.

The big reveal

The girls don’t know that we are going… yet. Part of me wonders how I’ll ever keep it from Tigs, whose eyes are wide with wonder every time the TV ad shows. Yet, I know the ‘is it today?’ questions might be pretty unbearable so that’s the deciding factor in keeping it under wraps. With the Mouse turning three just before halloween, we need to decide whether to tell the girls then with some wrapped gift prop, or do the whole getting up in the morning thing with bags packed and ‘we’re going somewhere special’…

Happier times

We have been to Disneyland Paris once before. Tigs had just turned two, and I had booked for us to be away the date our baby was due, who we sadly lost at 23 weeks. The plan was to have something wonderful to look forward to, and to take our mind off what we should have been doing. As fate, would have it, I was seven weeks pregnant with the Mouse on that trip. Very tired with all the walking, quietly happy with a future to hold on to, and of course, incredibly sad for our daughter. It was all in all a very emotional visit to a magical place, and watching the fireworks in the night sky on her due date will always stay with me and remain a pivotal moment of our life; when one door closed and another opened.

Tigs loves to tell her little sister about when she went to Disney in Mummys tummy, and that she ‘remembers’ the fireworks. We aren’t entirely sure if she does remember or not, but either way it feels like we have come full circle, and we can’t wait to take our complete family back to all experience the magic together. And, of course, it will always be a special place to remember our third daughter too, and the emotions we carried with us on our last visit.

The itinerary

Like last time, we have booked to stay at Sequoia Lodge – a log cabin esque hotel in the grounds of Disney – just set back from the park entrance around a huge lake. The hotel was comfortable and cosy – perfect for a Autumn visit, and has a lovely pool which we made use of when we were taking a break from all the walking around the park.

We are travelling with Eurostar, as the ability to board a train and depart at Disney was just one of the most smooth holiday transfers we have had to date. The train stops in Central London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford and with the ‘Disney Express’ add on, you can collect your tickets on the train and leave your luggage with a special desk at the station.

Our package was booked through the official Disney website http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/ we were able to secure discounts due to deals open for the 25 year celebrations. It may have saved us a few pounds to book the train and hotels separately, or drive, but everything ran like clockwork last time and we don’t want any badly synced surprises.

Whilst you can never call a few days in Disney ‘cheap’, we were really pleased with the value in being able to book off peak thanks to that extra half term week off, on top of the 25 year celebration offer.

Add ons?

As yet, we have just secured the transport and hotel and have held back on any optional extras. There are meal plan options available, as well as character meet meals too. On our last visit we totally winged it on the eating front and never had any problems finding somewhere to get food. I’m hoping things haven’t changed too much…thoughts anyone who has been recently?

Heaven or Hell?

It’s struck me whilst I’ve been chatting to other people about our visit, that this is not everyone’s cup of tea. The reactions have been mixed! Four days of glitter soaked theme park highs…queues and overpriced everything…folk dressed up in suits and dresses and rides that make you feel sick.

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Hey, how's it going? I'm Sarah, a mum of two little girls, living in the Garden of England that is Kent.
Life is great, but don't expect it to be all rose tinted glasses in this blog. (Maybe rosé tinted?). Being a Mum is the nuts, an absolute game changer, but also flippin' harder than I was expecting it to be! This blog is a little snippet into the life of a (once) cool Mum, muddling through this chapter of life called PARENTING x